Next Generation
by neuron6
Summary: A year after Brawl, villains unite for the purpose of conquering all dimensions. The Smashers are back in their own universes and separated. With the help of some newcomers, can they survive the attack? Rated T for very minor character death later. For example, a few Toads. NOTICE: The first chapter or two are very, very awful. Please don't judge this fic based on them.
1. Shadows in Smash Mansion

Next Generation

Chapter 1: Shadows in Smash Mansion

**There are probably about a hundred and fifty-two of these things out there, but I hope you'll read this one anyway. It's about an adventure that happens after Super Smash Bros Brawl. There will be some new characters eventually, along with some OCs, but this is not OC accepting. Please review!**

** Disclaimer: If I own, then I rich. I not rich, therefore I not own. Comprehendo?**

The Smash Mansion had been closed for a year. There were spiderwebs and dust everywhere, and all the windows had closed shutters. You could easily think it was haunted.

Which, at the moment, it was.

A shadow appeared, visible even in the lack of light. A black cloak swept the ground, leaving trails in the dust. The figure moved smoothly, without footsteps. Two triangular white eyes lit the darkness, showing the faded plaque on the door ahead: MEETING HALL.

As the being entered, it became apparent that his subordinates had already arrived. Ten silhouettes were visible. Two had wings, one tall and angular; the other short, but definitely dangerous. Four were huge, but still diversely shaped. One was small and had two cones protruding from his hood. Of the other three, one was thin with a creepy smile; one had a huge mustache and an overly large stomach; and the last was very short and cloaked. This last one was floating on a platform instead of sitting in a chair like the others.

It was the floating one who spoke first.

"I have impatience! When will it be the time for the conquering? Fawful's minions are ready to go. Why are we waiting in this stupid hole of dust?" At this, the being that had just entered turned its head to reveal a face that resembled nothing so much as a ball of darkness with eyes. "Because, my Beanish friend, we need a mode of transportation and a plan. But after this meeting, you may begin work on this airship." He slid a blueprint across the table, which was given a cursory glance. "Er… Can Fawful make some decorative changes?" asked Fawful.

There was a unanimous sigh from around the table. Everyone knew that "decorative changes" meant statues of Fawful every few feet and a design of his face on the bow. "Only on the interior," said the leader. "Now, who can tell me what Tabuu did wrong?"

"You told us already," grumbled a particularly fat one. "He had a good plan, but failed to make himself fully invincible." He was promptly whacked by the flat parts of four swords (no pun intended). "Ow!"

"Thank you, you four. Anyway, rude but correct. And how do we make ourselves invincible? Ridley?" The giant pterodactyl scratched his head.

"Um… get a Star from the Mario universe?"

The dark figure facepalmed. "Do you pay any attention at all, Ridley? You will be punished!" Ridley attempted to fly away, but a vortex of darkness appeared and pulled him in. A silence fell over the room. A short, roundish figure that looked a little like FLUDD raised a shaky hand.

"Er, you said there were ten Universe Stones, and whoever got them could do anything?" he said in a squeaky voice.

"Exactly," came the reply. "I made a good choice rescuing you, Magolor. And when we find each one, it will tell us where the next is. And the first is in Mario's dimension- the Ruby of Fire."

A large, dark figure raised his gauntleted hand. "What about the Smashers? They are very resourceful. Individually, each has fought an 'invincible' force and won."

"True, but not if we put them out of commission. That will be Fawful's job, along with you and the other three big ones." The "big ones" winced, but did not speak out against the term. That would get you punished, as they well knew.

A mustached man who looked as if he could stand to skip a few meals spoke. "But how to capture or incapacitate them? They have each fought through countless armies, and even with our combined forces, they are incredibly strong! Our armies would be strong, but still not numerous enough."

"And that is one way I am contributing. Observe." The shadowy being reached a hand out toward the table. Suddenly, several beams of darkness shot from it and wrapped around each other. The darkness formed a head, a torso, arms, and legs, creating a humanoid creature. It looked like a black diamond shape with angular arms and leg. The joints, instead of curved, had triangular points. The head looked slightly like Lugia's in shape, but black with glowing red eyes. "A Darkness Form," said its creator. "I can make an almost infinite number of them, and they are much stronger than Goombas, Primids, or the like." He called on another person. "Yes, Ganondorf?"

An abnormally large man stepped forward. "I may have something that will help. I joined during Melee and met some Smashers who are very resentful about not being included in Brawl. We could recruit them." This was considered by everyone at the table.

"Not a bad idea. You will find them and recruit them if possible. Robotnik will take your place with Fawful's team." The mustached man groaned.

"Do I have to? And I told you to call me Eggma-" _Bzzrt-whoom._ The insulted Fawful shot an electric blob at the protesting doctor, pushing him directly into a darkness vortex, where he joined Ridley.

Most of the remaining eight villains shifted nervously in their seats, waiting for more instructions from their leader. One, who was a puffball much like Meta Knight in appearance, asked in a neutral tone, "After we conquer the dimensions, will we be able to kill our nemeses?"

"Yes. All the Smashers will die, but you may kill your own enemies yourselves."

"_All_ the Smashers?" asked the one who had been hit by the swords before. "Even Kirby? I mean, I fight him a lot, but I'm kind of fond of him."

The leader sighed. "Fine. Keep Kirby if you want. Not Meta Knight though, I know Galacta-" he gestured at the one who had brought up the subject- "wants him."

"But-"

The Darkness Form the leader had made was looking at him. It had no face except for the eyes, but it still managed to look more menacing.

"-but nothing." The fat, seemingly more sentimental villain gulped. "Everything's fine."

"Good. I think that's all. Enlighten Ridley and Robotnik on what happened while they were gone." Said pirate and genius flashed into existence on the conference table, both shivering and in the fetal position. Their punisher walked (if you can say something without legs "walked") out of the room. The Darkness Form melted into a puddle of shadow and disappeared.

00~)-0-(~00

The ten antagonists minus one were in Smash Mansion's rec room, which was considerably better lit and a much more expansive space than the meeting room. There were a few beds near the wall, some chairs and TVs scattered around the room. There were also a few cupboards, refrigerators, and other cooking apparatus in corners. Fawful was at one of these "mini-kitchens". Doctor Eggman and Ridley were on beds, finishing their recovery from the dark vortex while Magolor and Galacta Knight helped them. Ruthless they may be, but they had all experienced it and couldn't help but feel sorry.

The one who had been hit with swords multiple times was shown to be Dedede, relaxing on a beanbag, eating potato chips, watching TV with an ice pack on his head. Ganondorf had already left to find new recruitments, as he had said. Bowser, who hadn't spoken over the entire meeting, was sleeping in the corner. Ghirahim, (nobody liked him and wondered why he had even been invited) along with a big armored human no one knew (they assumed he was from Fire Emblem) were on computers.

Fawful flew over to Ridley and Eggman from the kitchen. He carried two steaming mugs with him.

"I HAVE FURY! And hot chocolate for you two. BUT MOSTLY FURY! This fink-rat shadow-man decides he wants to conquer all dimensions and takes us here, then randomly punishes us and doesn't even tell us his name! Do any of you know who he is?"

There were assorted no's and grabbing of hot chocolate. Dedede came up behind Fawful. Everyone expected him to say something about their leader/kidnapper…

"Fawful, get me some hot chocolate too." With that, the giant penguin walked away, towards the Fire Emblem man.

Proving to be more clever than previously thought, Dedede told the man to Google himself, then looked at the name he typed. "Ashnard? HAHAHAHA! That name is so funny! Ashnard! That-" And received an armored fist in the face.

00~)-0-(~00

"All the Universal Stones…" The unidentified leader emerged from a staircase onto the roof. He was talking to himself. "Invincibility…" By this time, night had fallen. The only noises were crickets. "And then I can get rid of those incompetent lackeys… And all will worship I, Shadar." And Shadar began plotting even more.

**I don't think the ending was very good… Ah, well. I've never heard of Ashnard either. I was originally going to go with the Black Knight, but the Fire Emblem wiki is horrible. I wasn't even sure if he was an antagonist. Anyway, please review. I really need some constructive criticism for this one.**

**~NEURON6~**


	2. Ganondorf's Mission

Next Generation

Chapter 2: Ganondorf's Mission

**This will be the last chapter focusing on the villains. Next chapter will be the start of the real story. By the way, anyone who reviews gets a reply up in this section.**

** Pokemonmysterydungeon2: Don't worry; Ganondorf will have much more screen time than Ghirahim, as you will see in this chapter.**

Ganondorf was in desperate need of a Heart Container. He had gotten ready for his mission to find the Melee Smashers and recruit them. He had put on the best armor he could find, armed himself to the teeth, and even brought along a group of Redeads to help him.

The one thing he forgot, however, was a pair of flying shoes. The portal to get to the Pokemon universe had decided to be a troll- Apparently Fawful hadn't gotten them running properly- and spawned him and the Redeads hundreds of feet above an extremely pointy mountain. Ganondorf barely stayed conscious, and the squad of Redeads… well… Let's just say Ganondorf was without minions.

After walking for a while, the King of Evil came across a Pokemon Center. He quickly cleared out everyone who was inside and went into the back of the building to find some healing materials; and- oh lucky coincidence- Pichu was back there. Although Pichu was widely considered a Smasher even worse than Jigglypuff, Ganondorf had decided to find him anyway. Even a one-foot-tall, self-damaging mouse with the personality of a two-year-old could be useful eventually. Ganondorf cleared his throat, readying the speech he had prepared.

"Hello, Pichu. I am a representative from a project dedicated to taking over all of the dimensions and gaining unlimited power. We understand you may be angry about not being included in Brawl, and we would like to ask if you want to join us in finding the Universal Stones and become incredibly powerful and influential in the new regime." He stopped and looked at Pichu expectantly.

"Pi? Chu pichu chuchu?" Pichu looked confused. It didn't know all these big words. Ganondorf groaned.

"Never mind. Pichu, if you come with me, you will get unlimited Poke Treats." Seconds later, Ganondorf had a happy yellow mouse in a Poke Ball. He left the Poke Center, heading toward Cerulean Cave to find Mewtwo. Unfortunately for him, he forgot to heal himself.

00~)-0-(~00

"NO! You have to be putting the statue across from the other one! The aesthetics are bad if you are putting them next to each other!" shouted Fawful. He was overseeing the construction of the giant airship by his new minions, the Shroobs. The Shroobs were short, fanged, purple, Toad-like beings that were defeated by the Mario Bros in Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time. Fawful now commanded them as they placed his statues and paintings in the giant airship that was under construction.

"! %#^#& %#^^ = ^^=*} ^^ $ )(+…" said one, which roughly translates from Shroob to, "I never knew Fawful was OCD…" Fawful didn't know the Shroobs' language very well, except for his own name, = ^^=*}. His ego assumed the Shroob had said something about how great he was.

"Keep working!" shouted Fawful. "There will be punishing if this is not finished before Ganondorf sees it!" With that, he left the hangar to look for Bowser and get him to help.

00~)-0-(~00

Ganondorf was outside Cerulean Cave. He remembered the leader telling him how dangerous it was. Very strong Pokemon were the biggest hazard. Huge bodies of water and rocks blocked the way. Ganondorf hoped it wouldn't take too long. He wanted to get home soon; he thought the Pokemon universe was too cheery. Although, Ganondorf thought as he looked into the cave, _this_ place didn't look cheery at all… He went inside and was immediately jumped by a Machoke.

00~)-0-(~00

Half an hour later, Ganondorf was exceedingly unhappy. The first floor of Cerulean Cave had been crawling with wild Pokemon and was half-flooded. (Ganondorf was not a very strong swimmer.) The second floor was swarming with Golbat and built like a maze. It had taken twenty minutes to get through.

But the basement was the worst. It had almost a hundred wild Pokemon who were attacking him left and right. The only reasons Ganondorf survived were the few items scattered around. And there was even more water. At least the second floor was dry.

But at last, it had paid off. Mewtwo was just ahead, sitting on the cave's damp floor. It appeared to be meditating. Ganondorf approached it and began his speech. "Hello, Mewtwo. I am a representative from a project dedicated to taking over all of the dimensions and gaining unlimited power. We understand you may be angry about not being included in Brawl, and we would like to ask if you want to join us in finding the Universal Stones and become incredibly powerful and influential in the new regime."

Mewtwo opened its eyes slowly. "Angry? Why would I be angry?" it said with its telepathy. "It was necessary that I left after Melee. I was someone from Pokemon who was responsible. In Brawl the responsible Pokemon was Lucario. Next, Zoroark will likely replace Lucario." Mewtwo stood up. "Besides, your scheme of taking over the dimensions will fail."

"Why is that?" asked Ganondorf.

"Because I am going to tell the Smashers about it." Mewtwo levitated off the floor and flew out of the cave, leaving an upset Ganondorf behind.

"I am so dead…"

00~)-0-(~00

The dark entity we know as Shadar was waiting on the roof of Smash Mansion. Ganondorf had finished the mission an hour ago and Shadar had called him for a conference on how it went. He heard heavy footsteps climbing the stairs, signaling Ganondorf's approach.

"What news of the Melee Smashers, Ganondorf?" asked Shadar.

"Well, Pichu joined us once I offered him unlimited Poke Treats," said the evil king, "And I convinced Roy that his friends had turned evil, so we have him too."

"Is that everyone?" asked Shadar threateningly.

"No! Dr. Mario was slightly crazy already, so recruiting him was easy. And Young Link I couldn't find."

A pair of glowing eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What about Mewtwo? He's the strongest."

Ganondorf stepped back a little. "Well, he… er… didn't join."

"And?"

"Is going to betray our plans to the other Smashers."

Ganondorf spent the night in the shadow vortex.

00~)-0-(~00

Magolor, Dedede, Eggman, Bowser, and Fawful were relaxing in the rec room. King Dedede and Fawful were watching TV and eating junk food. Magolor was on a computer, researching fanfics about what happened to him. Dr. Eggman was writing a particularly offensive story about Magolor, just to tick him off. And Bowser was, for unknown reasons, digging a hole in the wall. All the other bad guys were off looking at Fawful's airship.

So, the villains were having fun, relaxing, or annoying each other, when the intercom came on.

"Attention everyone. Due to the stupidity of Ganondorf, Mewtwo is going to tell the Smashers about our plan. This will be causing us to leave early. In other words, get to Fawful's completed airship now and get in. The conquest begins tomorrow."

00~)-0-(~00

Mewtwo flew across space and time, crossing over endless universes until finally getting to the dimension he was looking for. He gave the planet a cursory glance, making sure, then beginning his descent into the Mushroom Kingdom.

**MUCH better ending than last time! At least, that's what I think. But what do you guys think? Please review!**

**~NEURON6~**


	3. Mushroom Kingdom

Next Generation

Chapter 3: Mushroom Kingdom

** The start of the heroes' story! Don't worry, we will still check in on the villains every now and again. Here are the review replies:**

** Mystery8icarus: Yeah, I have a feeling Ganondorf will have all the bad stuff happen to him. XD**

** Someone: Glad you liked it! **

** Guest: Unfortunately, school just started so I can't update as much. Maybe one chapter every 1 ½ to 2 weeks?**

** Disclaimer: I also don't own the song.**

Four people entered the Forest Maze. This forest's trees were so densely packed it was impossible to squeeze through, but a crude path was carved throughout. Sadly, the path's creators must have been insane (or Professor Layton) because- true to its name- the path was like a huge, twisting maze.

"I think we go this way…" said Mario. He glared at his brother. "This is your fault, Luigi! You led us here, and now we're lost!"

"What?! That's true, but you made me lead!" the other plumber shouted back. "And I've never even been here before!"

"Guys, can't we just get out? I mean, I love a good fight, but pointless arguing isn't even amusing," said Blue Toad, who was nearby, sitting on a log. His brother, Yellow Toad, sat nearby kicking pinecones around.

"Hey wait! I see something blue moving around over there!" shouted the over-trusting yellow mushroom, pointing. He ran off towards the thing.

Blue Toad jumped up. "What? Come back! Blue things are not good! I mean, I'm blue and I push you off cliffs for fun! STOP!"

But just this once, the semi-stupid yellow fungus seemed to have his trust in the right spot. Instead of being a dangerous Blue Koopa, (where do you think Spiny Shells from Mario Kart come from?) it was revealed to be a familiar blue doll. Mario skidded to a halt.

"Geno?"

The wooden being turned around. "Ah. Mario. And this is your brother Luigi, I presume?" he asked. "And who are these Toads?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, you don't know them. These are Yellow Toad and Blue Toad. We're all going to compete in a kart race in Toad Town, but we got lost."

"I'll take you there," replied the doll. "I'm going there myself."

Mario nodded. "Great! … Wait. I thought you were guarding Star Road?"

"I was, but I took a vacation. A star called Mogera is there now."

"Good. Want to race with us when we get there?"

"It would be an honor." And the five set off for Toad Town. To pass the time, Luigi sang a song he had picked up in Brawl. He chose this one because: First, it fit since they were with Geno; and second, it annoyed Mario to no end.

"Super Mario RPG, it is the only one just for me. When I play the game I get lost in a phase, then I find out I'm stuck in Geno's Maze…"*

"STOP IT LUIGI!"

(0 O 0)

('')

Everyone was at the starting line of Mario Circuit. Geno had been educated in the finer points of Mario Kart and had actually done fairly well so far. The other racers were Mario, Luigi, Blue Toad, Yellow Toad, Wario, Yoshi, Peach, and Waluigi. Everyone was close to being tied in points, with the exception of Waluigi, who wouldn't be able to get a medal even if he came in first.

A Lakitu came down from above and raised a street light, which began blinking red… then yellow… then green…

The racers shot off from the starting line. Except Waluigi, who had hit the gas too early and couldn't move for a few seconds. But after some cursing, he was off too.

Mario was in the lead, ahead of Geno by a hair. He grabbed an item block, making sure Geno was directly behind him so the animated doll wouldn't collect one. A small screen on his dashboard scrolled through the items, coming to rest on a picture of three banana peels. The plumber jabbed a button on his steering wheel, deploying the group of slippery fruit. Suddenly, in his rear-view mirror, he saw Geno coming up behind him. If he could time this right…

Mario hit the brakes, stopping his vehicle. Unfortunately, this made the bananas jump forward and onto the kart, causing it to slip. At the same time, Geno ran into him from behind, slipping on the remaining peels. In the chaos, Luigi and Blue Toad sped past them, having a battle using a multitude of shells.

(0 O 0)

('')

Mewtwo flew over the Mushroom Kingdom, taking in the sights of the great place many strange beings called home. The Pokemon sharply reminded itself it was not there for sightseeing. It needed to find Mario and the others.

Mewtwo closed its eyes, using telepathy to look for Mario. It located his brain signature in a town. A nearby town. And even better, the other Smashers from this universe were with him. Mewtwo set off towards the town Mario was racing in.

(0 O 0)

('')

The race was a mess, and Blue Toad was in his element. Which was literally a mess. Blue Toad loved chaos, causing chaos, and being in the middle of chaos. So far in the race, he had launched fourteen shells of various colors, dropped eight banana peels, thrown two Bob-ombs, and used a lightning bolt, a Fire Flower, and a Star once each. Not to mention he was in first place.

It was the second lap, with Mario in a close second, then Peach, Wario, and Luigi all close to each other. Geno had been hit by a few Red Shells early on and was hovering in sixth, with Yellow Toad and Yoshi farther back having an item war. Waluigi was unsurprisingly in last.

Nobody noticed the small dot approaching in the sky.

Or the giant airship coming out of a wormhole miles above.

Blue Toad crossed the starting line, beginning the third lap. Mario did the same seconds later. All the other racers soon followed, all hitting an item box.

Blue Toad got three Green Shells.

Mario got a Red Shell.

Luigi got a Bob-omb.

Wario got a banana peel.

Peach got a mushroom.

Geno got a Fake Item Block.

Yellow Toad got a Star.

Yoshi got a Golden Mushroom.

Waluigi got a Thunder Cloud. Lucky him.

The item war began. Princess Peach shot ahead with her Mushroom… then got sniped by Luigi's bomb with screams of "That's not how you treat royalty!" Yoshi used his Golden Mushroom… straight into an invincible Yellow Toad. Said invincible Toad also plowed through Wario's banana peel. Oh, and through Wario too, but that's not important. Mario fired his red shell at Blue Toad, but it was deflected by the "shield" of green shells encircling him. Geno dropped his phony item box. And Waluigi got zapped by the Thunder Cloud.

(0 O 0)

('')

Aboard the ship, a Shroob awaited his orders. A speaker crackled to life in Fawful's voice.

"Fire at will."

(0 O 0)

('')

Beams of purple energy shot out of the previously unnoticed airship and onto Mario Circuit, instantly disrupting the race. Karts were forced to circle across grass to avoid craters. One beam shot through a Piranha Plant. Waluigi got out of last place for once, propelled through the air by an explosion. The other racers swerved around in a group, driving through item blocks and throwing whatever they found at the huge battleship.

The battleship seemed to not take kindly to this, launching thirty-foot-long grappling hooks. The karts managed to dodge the hooks, but the ship didn't seem to mind. In a feat of incredible engine power, it pulled the buried hooks away, and the ground went too, turning until the racecars were driving perpendicular to the ground.

Actually, more like falling directly toward the ground. From a couple hundred feet up.

Everyone was busy screaming, and did not see the psychic Pokemon flying toward them. There was a flash of light, and eight empty racecars plummeted down to explode. I say eight and not nine because Waluigi had been blasted away by an explosion, landed on his wheels, and skidded across the somehow-still-intact finish line, making him the winner of the cup because the other racers had vanished. Where had they gone? Find out soon!

**So, how did you like it? Review and let me know. Next time is the Kirby universe! Fun with puffballs! And there is a poll on my profile page.**

*Look up "Super Mario RPG Lyrics" on Youtube.

**~NEURON6~**


	4. Planet Popstar

Next Generation

Chapter 4: Planet Popstar

** It's chapter 4! And, as promised, here's the Kirby universe! Oh, and that song from the last chapter? It's stuck in my head now. Ah well, could be worse. Here are the review replies.**

** Fonzy X: Thanks! (I know him IRL)**

** Note: The Kirby universe is both from the anime and the games. In my mind, they tie into each other. So, for example, the characters could refer to things that happen in the games, but there are also anime elements and characters. I use the Japanese names for anime characters.**

**Other note: Bandanna Dee is a Waddle Dee wearing a blue bandanna on his head. Unlike other Waddle Dees, he is independent and he is playable in Kirby's Return to Dream Land. A Super Ability Essence is like a Copy Ability Essence, but with Super Abilities like Ultra Sword.**

Deep space.

A pinpoint of light appeared above a planet. It slowly spread outward, growing to a height of six feet. Six appendages grew; a head, arms, legs, and a long tail. Then, the light faded, becoming Mewtwo. He looked at the planet below. It was oddly shaped, like a star. It was also yellow, although Mewtwo knew that there were actually oceans, forests, and glaciers covering its surface. Maybe the yellow color was a trick of the atmosphere? Mewtwo decided to ponder it later. Now, he had to find Kirby and the others before that ship arrived.

(^ . ^)

A ways away from Cappy Town, in the woods, there was a clearing. It had a very big tree in the middle, a crystal clear pond, a small sand pit, a hill, and a little cave in the side of the hill. Not many people knew about the clearing, but those who did know loved it.

Kirby loved it because he could play in the sand pit.

Meta Knight loved it because the cave was a great place to think.

King Dedede loved it because the tall grass at the top of the hill was soft and comfortable.

Bandanna Dee loved it for the warm sun and space to run around.

Bun loved it because he could swim in the pond.

Fumu loved it because of the small, usually friendly wild animals that lived there.

Kawasaki used to also go there because of the animals, but was banned when Fumu suspected him of using them in his recipes.

So, it was a fine summer day in Dream Land, but then again, every day was a perfect summer day. It barely ever was cloudy, and almost never rained. Kirby, Meta Knight, Bandanna Dee, Fumu, and Bun were all in the glade. Dedede was absent for some reason, which everyone enjoyed. They were without a care in the world, simply playing, or in Meta Knight and Fumu's cases, reading.

Kirby was smiling and happy as he played in the "sandbox". He kept up a conversation with Fumu, which would have been impossible before Brawl ended since Kirby couldn't speak. However, at the end of the series of tournaments and the Grand Tournament, Master Hand and Crazy Hand had each given every Brawler two gifts, one from each of them. Although Crazy Hand's presents had mostly been totally useless and/or random, Master Hand had clearly done a lot of thinking for his gifts. And for Kirby, it was a Translator Card, which was the size and shape of a Pokemon card. All Kirby did was touch the card, and he could talk. It also was accessible only by Kirby, to prevent Dedede turning Kirby "off".

Bun was swimming in the pond, happy as could be. Fumu was reading next to Meta Knight, talking about the books with the swordsman and talking about a variety of things with Kirby. Finally, Bandanna Dee was climbing trees, running around, and occasionally settling down to help Kirby make his sand castle. Eventually, the conversation turned to the Battleship Halberd.

"Meta Knight, how many Halberds were there over the years?" asked Fumu. "I mean, I know that the first time you used it was in our battle against Nightmare, but it was destroyed. And it was destroyed several times since then, too. So did you make new ones?"

Meta Knight shook his head. (Head? Body?) "There is only one Halberd." Everyone looked at him quizzically. "It changed its appearance over the years, but there is only one. After the first time we fought Nightmare, I salvaged what was left of the ship and added new weapons and other features. When Kirby… sank it… I later recovered and repaired it, and every other time it was destroyed I also salvaged and fixed it. Including the Subspace Emissary incident." Fumu nodded in understanding.

"…I see. And where is it now?"

"In its old bay under the castle," said the knight, pointing toward the treetops, above which the pennants of the vacant Dedede Castle could be seen. "By the way, do any of you know where our king is? He's been gone for half a month."

"Nope."

"No."

"Sorry."

"No clue."

"Hmm," said Meta Knight. His eyes turned green. "I do hope he hasn't gotten into trouble. He does that rather unnecessarily often. We should probably head back to the castle now, it's almost time for lunch."

At the word 'lunch', Kirby abandoned the sandcastle and quickly stood up. "Yes, Meta! Lunch!" Meta Knight chuckled, his eyes tinting pink. Kirby was the only one who he allowed to call him "Meta". Everyone slowly got up and walked off toward the distant castle rooftops.

Except Meta Knight. He stayed back for a moment. There was something coming, he felt it. What it was, he wasn't sure. But it was bad.

The swordsman slowly plodded off for lunch. And to check the Halberd's systems, and Galaxia's blade. He was sure they would be needed soon. He was right.

o-( [0\/0] )-o-[-[-[-

Mewtwo flew over Dream Land's beautiful surface. A breeze blew past him as he searched for Kirby's description of Cappy Town. It was a small village with tan houses… all the villages were tan. He wished Lucario was here. Mewtwo had some extrasensory abilities, but they were far surpassed by Lucario. Lucario could find the Kirby dimension Smashers instantaneously. Mewtwo had to fly over miles of oceans, forests, and mountains to search.

Another small town appeared over the horizon, accompanied by a castle. This one could be it.

Mewtwo suddenly sensed a disturbance much higher up. He looked above to see a small point of light appearing. In the bright sun, it could just be an optical illusion, but Mewtwo knew better. There were the "life-signatures" of hundreds of life forms appearing out of nowhere. This was no illusion. This was the warship, and it must have come for the Kirby Smashers.

o-( 0 0 )-o-

"What is it, Meta?"

"Something bad is coming, and it will be here soon. I _feel _it. We need to get on the Halberd for safety."

Kirby, Meta Knight, and Waddle Dee were in a huge underground hangar with the Battleship Halberd. Meta Knight had previously called them down, but they didn't know why.

"I don't understand, Meta. What's wrong?"

"Just follow me onto the Halberd."

The three puffballs walked up the ramp and onto the giant warship. The ramp slowly rose up to close behind them. Meta Knight Moved to a large door on the side of the entrance area. He entered a code in a pad next to the door and it opened with metallic rattling. Inside the locked room, there was a plethora of things designed for battling. The knight walked through the dusty piles of equipment and picked out several pieces, loading them onto a carrier. Most of them Kirby didn't recognize, but he definitely saw several Super Ability Essences and the Dragoon. He concluded that the other items on the cart must also be incredibly powerful.

The three heroes walked farther into the Halberd until they reached the control room, which now had a door on the side that wasn't there before. Meta Knight must have added it after the Subspace Emissary incident. He walked up to the main control seat. Somehow, Sword and Blade were already in the other two seats, and rapidly punching in a long string of commands on control panels. Meta Knight sat down and pulled a large, important-looking lever.

Engines roared to life. Gears shifted. Wings extended. And a huge door reminiscent of a garage door opened at the Halberd's prow. The giant battleship slowly flew out and into the sunlight…

And half a dozen beams of purple energy blasted into it from above, setting it rocking.

"We're being fired at!" shouted Blade. Meta Knight jumped to his feet and began walking over to the door at the side, gesturing for Kirby and Bandanna Dee to follow him. The knight pressed a few buttons on a keypad beside the door, and it opened, turning out to be an elevator. The three got into the elevator, and it began to rise.

Soon, it stopped, and re-opened on the top of the Halberd. The puffballs tentatively stepped out. The rain of purple bolts continued, but most missed the Halberd. Then Meta Knight realized: _Cappy Town was right under the Halberd_.

With worry, he strode over and looked over the side of the ship. It was as he feared. There were craters all over the village, and Cappies ran around screaming. Rebuilding would…

"META KNIGHT!"

The swordsman barely raised Galaxia in time, blocking a lance crashing down on him. A few more furious blows were traded, then Meta Knight noticed his attacker's identity…

"Galacta Knight?!"

"Yes. I'm back. And you're going to die." The angelic warrior stabbed at Meta Knight with his lance a few more times, but was parried by the golden sword. He growled, and began a relentless assault with his weapon, but Meta Knight returned it. The duel continued, with Kirby and Bandanna Dee watching, but not daring to get close because of the flurry of blades. Suddenly, both fighters were thrown aside by another violet blast making contact with the ship.

Galacta Knight recovered first, but instead of attacking he pulled out an odd staff-like object and pointed it at Meta Knight. It was a pole of twisted wood, with a black carving wrapped around it like a snake. Fixed on the top was a sphere made of glass. Slowly, a piece of black energy traveled up along the carved part and into the glass ball… Then shot out at the defenseless Meta Knight.

As the blast hit, Meta Knight did not feel pain. Instead, there was an odd sensation that he had felt once before. In the center of his vision, he saw an image of himself. But something was happening. As he looked at the image only he could see, its skin turned gray. The cape developed rips and holes and the mask became more angular, with a scar on one side. The shoes changed to a red color. Even Galaxia transformed, turning silver. It lost the spikes and became serrated. The red gem turned blue. Finally, the ghostly picture darkened and grayed. It became horribly familiar. Meta Knight sat up.

Kirby and the Waddle Dee were trying to hold Galacta Knight back from their friend, but it was difficult. When he got up, they stopped trying altogether and ran for him, but skidded to a halt as a blurry object appeared before him, slowly coming into focus. Bandanna Dee didn't understand why there was an odd, malevolent-looking doppelganger of the knight, but Kirby did. "Dark Meta Knight…"

Dark Meta Knight was joined by Galacta. The original swordsman attempted to fend them off, but couldn't win with two against one. He fought for a few seconds, then was sent flying by two blades colliding with his own. Galacta Knight stalked over, preparing to finish him off. He raised his lance.

"Stay away from Meta!" Kirby tackled the would-be killer, but Galacta smacked him with his weapon, and he was sent flying.

Right over the side of the Halberd.

"Kirby!" Meta Knight jumped after the pink puffball, wings extended, but there was only a flash, and Kirby vanished. Meta Knight noticed a large cat-like creature flying nearby, and his eyes went red. He flew as fast as he could toward it, but with a cry of alarm, disappeared in a flash of light himself. The creature, Mewtwo, flew up and took care of Bandanna Dee as well, using Teleport again. Finally, he disappeared as well.

As the two villains flew off the Halberd, one more blast caused the battleship's engine to finally give out, leaving Sword and Blade to steer it to a controlled crash-landing in the ocean.

**Finally done. This was the longest chapter by far, but I'm not sure it was the best. I think I focused too much on Meta Knight… well, anyway, Geno won the last poll, and there is now another. Please review and favorite, or just continue reading! Next time: the MOTHER dimension is attacked! See you then!**

**~NEURON6~**


	5. New Onett

Next Generation

Chapter 5: New Onett

** Here is the next chapter. Sorry it took so long to update. No reviews make me less motivated. As I said, this is the Earthbound/Mother universe.**

"Thanks, Ness. Maybe we can do this again tomorrow." Ness nodded at Paula. They had just had a date at New Onett's burger shop. Shortly after they had been reunited by Lucas, Ness had finally drawn up the courage to ask Paula out and...

Perhaps some backstory would be useful at this point. *flashback*

_Lucas, Kumatora, Duster, and Boney sped down the highway in a Pork Bean vehicle. Duster was having a good time, running over enemies and other various things. _

_ Kumatora saw a small cafe down the road. "Over there. Maybe they have some food." The Pork Bean pulled up in the parking lot, next to a cart. The four heroes dismounted and walked over to the cart, hoping for some healing materials or weapons._

_ "Welcome!" greeted the abnormally young shopkeep. He couldn't have been more than twelve. "What would you like?" Buying a few things, the friends continued towards the cafe_

_ Except Lucas. The boy at the cart was as ordinary as could be, but Lucas sensed incredible power coming from him. Maybe PSI? A shout from his friends forced Lucas to move on, but he still puzzled over the boy._

_ The drenched Lucas and company trudged away from the beach. The Mr. Saturns' "Birdie-cage" had dropped them all into the ocean. They were going back to Tazmily Village to buy some things for their next trip._

_ Then Lucas noticed a roadside vendor. It was the boy from the highway cafe. Lucas went over to him, checking over his merchandise, which now included steak. He decided to buy the steak, but was more interested in the shopkeep. The feeling of PSI abilities had not diminished._

_ Lucas tried to catch his eye, but he just continued staring ahead blankly, with the same neutral expression. Lucas kept thinking about him as he left. That boy seemed very important somehow._

_ Now everyone was in New Pork City. And Lucas had met the young shopkeep again, right outside a movie theater. All he now sold was Hot Dog Sushi, so Lucas politely refused. But as Lucas began walking away again, he noticed an expression of anger and pain flash across his face. It was so fast Lucas might have imagined it. As the vendor straightened himself, though, a slip of paper floated out of his uniform and to the ground. Lucas reached for it. The tiny, grubby note read:_

Paula, Jeff, Poo. I need to tell you about something regarding Porky. Meet me in the woods this Saturday.

-Ness

_And Lucas remembered a story he had heard Hinawa tell him at bedtime. It was about a boy named Ness and his friends, who saved the world from a malevolent entity, but disappeared six months afterwards..._

_ Lucas resolved to talk to this shopkeep as soon as the adventure was all over. This could be very, very important. _

*end flashback*

After Lucas had woken the Dark Dragon (in Mother 3) and Porky was sealed inside the Absolutely Safe Capsule (also in Mother 3) those he had time-napped and brainwashed were restored to normal sanity. Including Ness and his friends, who he had taken from their time and brainwashed.

As Lucas commanded the Dark Dragon and recreated the world, Ness, Paula, Jeff, and Poo helped him. He didn't want a world with nothing but technology. That reminded him of New Pork City. But he didn't really want the old farm-based setting he had grown up in either. From what he heard, Ness's time was a happy mix of the two.

So he took the next year to guide the Dragon to create a world like Ness's. Afterwards, they had just enough time to explore the new world and work out the "glitches" before the new Brawl series of tournaments began, with them included. Jeff went too, for the purpose of being an Assist Trophy.

When Brawl finally ended, Ness was fifteen and Lucas was thirteen. Everyone began to ease back into life. Ness kept going out with Paula, Duster and Kumatora began doing the same...

But today, it would all change.

This concludes the incredibly lengthy backstory.

~)-0+0-(~

"Engine fully charged."

"Weaponry fully charged."

"Computers operational."

"Ready for takeoff, Sir Dedede."

"Good. Now let's go."

The huge spaceship slowly rose up from Smash Mansion's hangar. Yes, it has a hangar. Don't argue. It also had a helipad, fifteen garages, and a hundred and twelve bathrooms. And that giant airship.

A portal large enough for the ship didn't need to be constructed, thanks to a contribution of Magolor's. His old ship, the Lor Starcutter, had a system that created a wormhole out of thin air. He had installed that technology into the Shadowbird, which is the name Fawful had given to their ship.

A star-shaped engraving on the prow glowed and released a beam of light. The beam flowed into a point in the air, stopping and condensing into a space distortion. Most of the wormhole was purple, but a few things were visible. Rooftops, people, and Mr. Saturns.

The ship flew through the warp.

~)-0+0-(~

Lucas heard a knock on the door. He slowly got up from his book and went to answer it.

"Oh, hi Ness. Come on in." Ness did so.

Lucas's house wasn't very fancy. It was reminiscent of his old house in the Nowhere Islands. It had a bed, a mirror, some chests of drawers, and not much else. The only real difference was that there were several bookcases scattered around. Lucas had taken up reading.

"So, any letters from Master Hand?" asked Ness.

"No, not yet. But it should be soon. Or we might not be invited this time."

"Oh, come on, Lucas. You're such a pessimist."

"What? It might happen."

"People loved us. If the Super Smash Bros. series continues, we'll be included for sure." Lucas still looked doubtful, but nodded.

They walked outside and down the street. Lucas had to stop Ness from eating out of trash cans, a habit he still hadn't lost. They met Kumatora and Duster, and got Boney out of his doghouse for a walk.

~)-0+0-(~

Mewtwo soared over the new world. It was less than three years old, and still looked brand-new. Houses were painted in vibrant colors, no dead trees could be seen, and absolutely no big cities were anywhere. It was a paradise. No offense to anyone who lives in a big city, it's just that Lucas doesn't like them.

The Pokemon noticed another town in the distance. Upon closer inspection, a sign right outside said _Welcome to New Twoson._

He was getting close.

~)-0+0-(~

"Aaaand we're here!"

The huge airship exited a large wormhole in the sky, much to the surprise of the residents of Saturn Valley. Mr. Saturns talk funny, so I won't say everything they did, but here are a few examples:

"BiG aiRSHIp iN skY."

"I waNT kNOw whaT IT iS."

"iT gIVe PResEntS aT Us?"

"DAkoTa."

The airship proceeded to launch several of King Dedede's Bombars at the Mr. Saturns.

"PLaNe-ThIngS laUncHInG firEWOrKs... PrEtTy."

"fiREwORkS meAn. VerY MEaN."

"haIR oN fiRe. oW oW."

~)-0+0-(~

"... so, that's my theory on Magypsies."

"No, I don't think so, and I've met them. They certainly aren't immortal, I mean, look what happened to Fassad."

"That's my point, Lucas. I doubt he died. He survived falling off Thunder Tower."

"But he practically_ admitted_ he was dying after I fought him in New Pork City."

"_Practically _doesn't mean... What's that?" Boney began barking. Ness noticed a cloud of smoke on the horizon. "Finally, some excitement! Come on, Lucas!"

"But... it's probably just a burning house. The fire department can handle it."

"So? We can help. Besides, this is the only exciting thing that's happened in a month!"

"But-"

"PK Teleport!" Lucas, Ness, and Boney disappeared into a blue portal.

~)-0+0-(~

Mr. Saturns ran around unhappily while their houses burned. More Bombars circled overhead, attacking everything that moved (and more often than not, things that didn't.)

Four portals appeared: Three on the ground, and one in the sky. The three on the ground were blue, with a black center. The one in the sky was white.

The portals spit out Ness, Lucas, and Boney, Paula, Kumatora and Duster, and Mewtwo. They ran towards each other, even Mewtwo, but he was farther away.

"What's going on?" asked Ness. A Mr. Saturn ran over.

"VALleY atTacKEd. hOuSEs BurNInG. nO sCAry pIG peOpLE. YIpPiE YIpPiE." Its hair then randomly caught on fire and it went to jump in a pond.

The five humans and the dog dropped into fighting stances. This, of course, attracted the Bombars' attention.

"PK Freeze!"

"PK Thunder!"

"PK Flash!"

"PK Fire!"

Two of the attacks hit, but Ness's PK Thunder veered off course. This was made up for by PK Flash, however, when it performed its rare function of instant defeat. One Bombar went spiraling down, but there were still several more. The battle went on.

~)-0+0-(~

Mewtwo was trying to get down to help the heroes, but the the airship seemed to have noticed it. Instead of nearing its friends, it spent most of its time dodging a few dozen purple bolts. It couldn't even destroy turrets without exposing itself to a shot at point blank range.

Then it got an idea. It was running out of PP for Teleport, but it could still use it a few more times.

~)-0+0-(~

Lucas and his friends were losing. Badly. Missiles and bombs had already taken out Boney, and the others couldn't attack since they were so busy healing each other. It didn't help that a Mr. Saturn needed to be extinguished every few seconds.

Then came the blasts. Three wormhole-like things materialized and purple beams shot out, wrecking most of the remaining Bombors. After that, it was easy to dispatch the last few with PK Loves and PK Rockin.

"What... were those beams? And those white portals?"asked Lucas. Paula was healing him.

"I honestly don't know," said Ness, who was treating his own injuries. "But hey, don't question a good thing, right Lucas? Lucas?" Ness turned around and instantly regretted the "good thing" comment. A surprised Paula sat next to a fading white oval where Lucas had been. They both grabbed for it, but nothing happened. Well, not nothing. Paula had another portal appear on top of her. She disappeared as well, with a startled yelp.

"No! Paula!" Ness lunged at the second portal, but came up empty-handed. "Paula! Lucas!"

_Stay calm._

"What?" said Ness, looking around for the telepathic voice. "Mewt-" And then a portal swallowed him up as well.

**FINISHED. At last. Sorry for the wait, but as I said, no reviews equals little motivation. On the bright side, this is a very long chapter. Meta Knight won the last poll, remember to vote on the new one.**

** Go check out my new story, Collision. It will tie into this story eventually, so make sure to take a look! And review this chapter. Please.**

**~NEURON6~**


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